The Challenge

Carson Group, a financial services company headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, started planning several years ago for a new office building that would be truly world-class, helping to attract and retain employees and offering amenities that would support the company’s “work-live-play” culture.

“This building must serve the needs of Carson, both today and for years to come,” says Carson Group chief of staff Kelsey Ruwe. “It’s a huge opportunity to set Carson apart and must be designed with all levels and dimensions of the organization in mind. For me, it’s the biggest opportunity in Carson’s history to bring our culture to life in a very tangible way.”

The Solution
Carson Group’s leadership worked with LEO A DALY, an architecture and design firm, and Tetrad Property Group, an owner’s representative, to plan the new 194,000-square-foot headquarters. “The building design itself is called ‘Ascend,’ and we feel that accurately captured our mission...to continuously move forward and move up,” says Ruwe.

The design team thought about every detail of occupant comfort to make the new building a truly comfortable, bright, and amenity-filled place to work. There are two glass towers joined by a two-story bridge, called the “amenity zone.”

There’s a rooftop bar; a café; a large lobby area that doubles as a meeting space; high-tech video walls and ergonomic furniture systems; and SageGlass® smart glass windows, which autotint in response to the sun.

“We selected SageGlass Harmony® based on how it can provide comfort while allowing lots of natural light to flow through an open office,” says Alex Henery, project manager at Tetrad Property Group.

“There are so many intricate details to be considered,” says Ruwe. “It’s world-class and is meant to deliver a top-notch experience for our clients and advisors.”

The Benefits

With SageGlass Harmony, the building offers beautiful views (including of the adjacent Heartwood Preserve development) and plenty of natural light—while minimizing glare, brightness, and heat that often accompany large windows.

“When doing research on what amenities ranked the highest for stakeholders, natural light was undoubtedly at the top,” says Ruwe. “Smart glass has the ability to promote happiness and well-being, enhance workplace satisfaction...and make people feel more energized.” Carson Group also wanted to highlight its commitment to green practices and innovation.